I keep a pack of Virginia Slims hidden in a drawer at work. I bought them 12 years ago after a long day with the kids and a spat with the spouse.
I remember walking into the Shell Station asking for the menthol lights and damn near died when the cashier said, "That'll be $6.28". The last time I bought a pack of cigarettes, they cost a buck.⠀I drove to my office which is just outside of town and sat on the concrete stoop with a cigarette in one hand a long neck Bud in the other, taking long drags from both.
It was a stolen moment from a life I loved and daily chose, but one that cost me something in return, too.These are challenging times of uncertainty and change. But I refuse to give up hope.
It's my act of peaceful rebellion to chose beauty right now.